Socket



Patented Jan. ,1.3,l 1,9142 l sooxs'r Anhui-'1. schism, chicago, ni. Application August 7,1939, serial No. 288,752

(c1. 17e-32s) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to sockets more particuf larly such as are used in radio apparatus for holding electronic tubes having prong terminals. Such sockets are used also as receptacles for. cable terminal plugs where the .plug is provided with prongs for making electrical connection with the contact'members of the socket.

lAmong other objects, the invention aims to provide an improved socket of this type which may be produced and assembled in large quantities at low cost and which at the same time has enhanced mechanical and electrical elciency, particularly for tubes or plugs in which one of the prongs is in the form of a relatively large center pilot pin provided with rotative position xing means and also itself aifording an electrical contact', while the other prongs or electrodes'are of relatively small diameter and as many as say eight in number, the whole being encompassed within a relatively small circular area approximately three-eighths inch radius.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawing, inI which- Figure 1 is an elevational view of a socket consis II may have` a generally circular opening Ii therein to snugly receive the socket I2. As here shown, the socket I2 comprises an insulating body Il desirably formed -of molded insulating material such, for example, .as a phenolic condensation product commonly knownl as Bakelite The body I3carrles the metal socket or contact members specifically, one of which I4 at the center of the body makes contact with the center prong'IS of the'conventional electronic tube I8, and the others of which I8. eight in number in this instance, make lcontact with the corresponding eight prongs II of the tube.

The cylindrical molded body I3 while somewhat disk-like, is. desirably of materially great thickness withrespect to its diameter, and as here shown has a peripheral shoulder ift/which rests' l l upon the upper face of the metal chassis I0,

the cylindrical lower end 2l of the body I3 below the shoulder I9 passing snugly downwardly "through the opening II in thechassis. The body lower end 2|.has a peripheral groove 2| in which may be seated the retaining spring 22 which locks the body to the chassis, asbest shown in Fig. 1.

structed in accordance with the present invention and associated with a radio chassis panel and radio tube, the latter being shown in separated relation, and the chassis portion being in section, the parts being approximately actual size;

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the socket alone with parts broken away and in section for clearness of description and also with one of the contact members sectioned through its tail;

also with another of the contact members shown as it would be spread by the yaction'of a tubeprong received therein: A

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the staggered line 3 3 of Fig. 2 through the spread contact; 2 Figure 4 is a bottom view of'the `structure of Fig. 2 and again showing a fragment of the chas sis associated therewith: t

Figure 5 is a separated view of thecente'r contact shown in previously mentioned gllres;

Figure 6 is a development view of the structure of Fig. 5l

Figure 'I is a separated view of views;` and l Figure 8 is a plan view of an illustrative retainer spring as shown in-4 section in Fig. l.

Referring in detail to the illustrative con-l struction shown in the drawing, the radio chaslone -of the other contacts shown 'in previously mentioned One form of such retaining spring `22 is shown in Fig. 8 of triangular shape in which the cornersf23 are resiliently disposed in aplane normally offset from the plane of the intermediate parts' 24 of-the spring 22 thus providing the desired tensionafter the socket has been .placed in position on the chassis. l

As best shown in Fig. 4, the socket lower end 2l alsohas a. plurality, in this instance, four peripheral notches 25 in one of which may be received the locating projection 28,0f the chassis Il which extends into theiopening II. These notches permit selective rotative positioning of the socket in the chassis with the projection 28 in any one of the notches 25 and thereafter preventing relative rotation of the socket with respeci; to the chassis. Y i

It will be understood that the present invention is not directed to the mounting of the socket just described, this being for purposes of exempliilcation, and that other mounting means may be employed, such for instanceas an adaptor plate secured to the socket body and which may be riveted to the chassis as is well known in the art and need not be here specically described.

Turningnow to the interior construction of the socket I2 which is the subject of the present invention, the parts within the area defined by the circle 2'I will be described. Y

The area deilned by the circle 21 is relatively small, approximately seven-eighths inch in dias a group on the line of an annulus around the 5 center of the socket and uniformly spaced apart therefrom and one from the other. Each of these axial passages includes an enlarged trough-like and desirably wedge-shape upper end 28 which the body I3. This counterbore 29 is o'iIset radially inwardly of a cylindrical recess in the upper end of the socket detlned by the circle 21 and providing a shoulder 21a which extends annularly in segments separated by radial ribs 215 l5 which are upper projections of the walls ofthe separate axial passages 28. As here shown,the

wedge-shape passage part 28 tapers decreasingly' i downwardly to a. slot 30 which opens through the lower face Il of the body. 20

In each of these axial passages is located one of the metallic contact members Ii, which as best` shown .in Fig. '1, comprises a tail 32 and a resilient prong engaging part 23. Each of the contact y members i6 is advantageously a one-piece metal 25 stamping having spring temper. When the oontact member It is assembled with the body part Il it is put infrom the upper end of the body and .the contact tail 32 passes downwardly through the slot Il to project from the body lower 30 tially flush with the contact member portions Il upper surface.

end, the tan n having the soldering nele u therein to which a conductor wire may be attached, or the wire may be wrapped around the intermedially reduced part 25 of the tail 32. Y Downward movement of the contact member in 35 the body is limited by the intermedially obliquely bent portion It of the contact which prevents passage of this part through the slot 3|.

Above the bent part 3l, the contactvmember., Ii is extended upwardly as at l1 parallel with-40 but oiiset irom the tail 32 and is again obliquely bent at 28 andthen continued upwardly as at 28 in a part parallel with the parts I2 and 21 but still further onset from the tail 22. At its up.

permost end the contact il is turned horizontally or at a right angle to the passage as at ll to form the prong engaging portion proper. When the contact member is inserted downwardlyl as somewhat yieldingly limited by the bent part, le, the bent part tt rests against the tapered wall 5G of the opening portion 28 as at 4I and the free end'l2 ofthe prong engaging part Il of the contact advantageously rests as at 43 upon the shoulder 21a occurring between the yrecess defined'by` the circle 21 andthe oounterbore 29. Thus the 55 prong engaging part proper Il of the contact member is cushioned for purposes next described. In the horizontal prong engaging part Il of the contact member is a perforation 44 throughg, kwhich is received one of the prongs i1 of the co tube. As here shown, the entire prong engaging 4 part 22 of the contact member is advantageously split from its free end as'at 45 on a line passing through the center of the perforation 44 and ex-.'

tending downwardly tothe part I1. Thegper- 05 .-foration Il is desirably made by piercing theV metalof the horizontal part 4l and drawing it downwardly as best ,shown at 4I (Fig. 3) to `an extent preferably greater than the thickness of. the metal itself, thus affording an' enhanced con-I 70 tact surface with the prong. Thus advantageously no metal is removed from the prong engaging part of the contact member and its split portionsare normally in contact substantially throughout um, receipt of the prong, e 5 J The perforation M is normally of less diameter than the prong I1, and the split I5 permits the prong to be received inthe perforation il l character of the prongenzasing part ll of the opens into a counterbore 29 in the upper end of 10 contact member in the trough-like passage part 22. A characteristic of the invention is the controlled resilience of the contacts provided by the structure described which not only prevents breakage of the seal o! the tube about the prongs which might otherwise occur due to bending or wedging strain on the prongs, but also prevents distortion of the prong engaging part of the contact member beyond its elastic limit. y

When the contact members III have all been inserted as already described in the body il, they membersrespeotively, the disk 41 resting upon the ribs 2lb and center core 41a, the upper surfaces of which are coplanar, and also substanm this msi-.ance the disk'u n retained-in position flush with the upper surface of'thesccket as shown .and described by a preformed shoulder v 48 on the upper end or the central grommet-iike contact member Il which passes downwardly through a central 'opening Il in the disk 41 and a corresponding central axial passage 52 in the like character and to secure the parte in position.

As shown in the development view, Fig. 6, of this central contact member il, it has an initially fiat form .as at Il having a somewhat rectangular part 53 forming the head of a T-shape figure of which the leg is the part M and on each side of which are thetabs I5 depending from thel head 5I. When, now, the part i3 isbent around upon itself as shown in Fig. 5 it assumes the somewhat cylindrical form of the central contact il having the two free wings Si. the free .ends I1 of which are turned outwardly. Whenv the wings Il are compressed to insert the central contact il in the openings Il and .l2 in the disk and body, the free ends i1 ofthe contact are resiliently received in an axial keyway l2 formed jointly in the disk 41 and body II. Thusthe disk l1 and body it are held against both axial and rotative relative displacement. Part Il of the contact member I4 'forms a soldering tail similar to the tails I2 ofthe contact members i8. It

may have the soldering hole Il therein and be oit-setas at Il to placethis part nearer the axis of the socket and away from the other contact members. .4

The lower edge Il. of the blank rIl for the contact i4 may be slightly sheared to form partly separated edge portions l2 which may be bent as 'at to lock the contactin position, and also tov complete the grommet-like character. of the contact toclamp the socket parts together.

When the tube il is inserted in the socket with the relatively large central prong i5 of the tube hanced electrical tended that an electrical yas well asmechanical connection lbe established between the central prong I of the tube and the central contact I4 of the socket, for electrical grounding or other circuit continuing purposes, the resilient sliding contact of the prong ,key 64 with the resilientV wing ends 5l of the contact provides a good electrical connection, and this is further enhanced by inwardly directed segmental bulges formed in the contact tab portions 55 which act as spring fingers 65. These spring fingers 65 are yieldingly received in the annular groove 66 near the end of the tube prong I5 with a somewhat snap-button effect, which also prevents accidental displacement of the tube upwardly of the socket. These spring fingers 65 are desirably continued each for a substantial distance segmentally on opposite'- sides of the central contact I4.

The main portionof the central contact I4, in

ally and longitudinally exper end of the central contact member I4 is desirably received in a depression 68 in the disk 4l so as tol be ush therewith.

The rim of the lower part'3I of the socket may be extended axially as at 69 to approximately the same extent as the rib-like projections 61 for,

among other things, enhanced electrical insu` lation.

The insulating body I3 and keeper disk 41 may be further interlocked against relative rotation as at 10.

i So constructed and arranged, the contacts I6 adapt themselves to the prongs I1 of the tube l within all required limits While preventing undue distortion of the prong engaging parts of the contacts; in other words, controlled resilience is aiorded by the construction illustrated, including the pocketing of the upper portions of the contacts between the radial ribs 2lb and other parts described.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. In a socket of the class described, a molded insulating body having a downwardly decreasingly tapered passage therein, said passage being wedge-shape in vertical cross-section at its upper end and terminating in a slot at its lower end,

a one-piece sheet metal contact member in said passage'having a tail passing through said slot and a at portion at its upper end transverse to i addition to its other functionsr desirably serves 'Y as a shield to prevent intercoupling of current between one contact with its associated prong and another contact with its associated prong.

If desired, additional Iinsulating barriers may be located. between the contact passages in the socket, for example, such ast'ne ribs 61 onthe lower face 3| of the socket, which lengthen the insulating path for resisting the passage of surface electrical currents. Furthermore, these ribs or projections 6l desirably form pockets which prevent resin or soldering flux from owing from one contact to another during the soldering operation.

vWhile the tails oi' the contact members may normally protrude at `right angles to the lower surface of the socket as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, they may ii' desired be fanned out by bendas shown in dotted lines in F18. 1, or, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the contact tails may be twisted out of their normal plane to create a retaining shoulder at the lower race of the socket. thus further securing the .contact members against upward displacement and effecting eninsulation between contacts by increasing the distance therebetween.

'I'he preformed shoulder or flange 49 at the upy sage terminating in ya slot ing them at an angle other vthan ninety degrees, v'

said tail, said contactv member being bent obliquely between said tail and said upper flat portion to conform somewhatto the taper of the passage, a perforation in said at por-tion, and, means for retaining said contact member from accidental removal from said passage.

2. In a socket of the class described, a molded insulating body having a passage therein of downwardly decreasing cross-section, said pasat its lower end, a one-piece sheet metal contact member in said passage having a tail passing through said slot and a fiat portion at its upper endtransverse to said tail, a` shoulderin said passage, said contact member having afree edge at its upper end resting on said shoulder and being bent between said tail and said upper at portion to conform somewhat to the decreasing cross-section of the passage, said upper at portion being split from its free edge medially through the upper :dat portion and said split extending downwardly for a substantial distance of its bent portion, said last mentioned portion being itself bent intermedially whereby to contact the wall 'of said passage at vertically spaced apart points and to be free of said wall therebetweemand means for retaining said contact member from .accidental removal from said passage.

' ARTHUR J. SCHMITT. 

